The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-10-05

tnc CISSt.
The last Of Chickamaugai All, no
Not the last for as the little rear guard
reached the lower ground they came
upon their wounded comrades, who, too
badly hurt TO go on to the rear, had yet
with untold agony dragged themselves
back from the fire swept ground in front,
and so got partial shelter. Along the
route these wretched sufferers lay thickly.
Here one with an arm half torn off; there
foot dangling; here a poor fellow shot
through the body, his death a question
not OF hours, but of minutes; and so on,
in sickening continuance. And all want
ing water There had been none all day,
and the retrcating soldiers were march
ing with lips and tongues blackened
and swollen and cracked with thirst until
many could utter no articulate sound.
Boys, you won't go and leave us
here 9''
''For Gods sake, water waterl"
Boys are you going on the retreat,
and leave us behind2n
"You ought to hold the ground, boys.
till they take care Of usp
"Waterr waterl Don't let us die
hcre2n
Pitiful, pitiful appeals And all in
vain. Not canteen of water in the
whole command. Not an ambulance
within miles. Nothing but victorious
foe behind, an unknown way in front,
and the blackness of night over all
Pitiful, pitiful. Harder to face-these
reproaches-than all Of Bragg's artillery.
All! here is punishment Not only to
leave the field to the enemy, but to
1 nj. for on1 hloa1tnr.
alsol
So thought the captain, riding in rear
of his little worn command. Presently
he heard well-known voice at the road
side, and pulled up his horse.
"Good heavens, Majorl You here, and
hurtw cried the Captain, as he came
close to a PROSTATE figure at the road
side.
Eyes, Milney, Pm here For Gods
sake get me drink of water" replied
the sufferer And then went on eagerly:
Is it retreat, Captain2 Have we lost it
alll Where are the ambulances and the
hospital trains2 Are all these poor
fellows to be left to the enemy2 Why,
they can't take care of their own in this
wilderness, let alone oursl 1t is cruel-it
is horriblel Get me a drink, captain;
get me drink That is all shall ever
want. shall not get away from heren
| Captain Milney dismounted. He had
a few precious drops of water in his can
teen-hoarded for hours against his own
thirst. His friend, Major Galton, he
found was shot in the breast-how badly
could not be told. He was quickly re-
lieved so far as half dozen swallows of
the life giving water could do it.
"God bless you, Milneyr' he cried.
"You've done me the last service
shall receive in life. God bless you, my
friend And now go on. You can't
help these poor fellows here, 1 know
you can't help me any further. Go on
with your regiment and leave us. But
here, Milney, take this letter, and when
you are back In Gods Ohio country give
1t to Nina Clark. and tell her that her
promise made man of me when l was
nigh desperation and despair. Tell her,
| say God bless her for it,"
"Mina Clark" exclaimed Captain
Milney, starting back. ''Mina Clark !
is there no mistaken thought it was
-"
'No-no-Min Clark. l can't tell
you now, Milney. I'm growing weak.
Goodbye, Milney-good- -byep
If any inward trouble showed itself in
the Captains face none could see it in
the gloom. He was silent but an in
slant, and then said slowly and firmly,
but in greatly altered voice:
Major Galton, am going to put you
on my horse and forward you to Chat
tanooga You shall be your own mes
senger to Nina Clark. You have some
thing to live for, and you will live |
While lit does not matter"
Had the Major known that Captain
Miney was himself wounded-a painful
hurt in the foot, not dangerous, but
disabling protests might have been
vigorous, but they would not have
swerved the Captain. AS it was, the un-
expected urn seemed to give the Major
new lease of life. In an instance he
had resolved to live-he who a moment
before had hidden his friend goodbye
forever Astr,de the Captains horse he
seemed to get out another lease of life,
and all this stood him in good stead.
\ The troops, tired and dispirited as they
were, moved rapidly on the road, and
the Majors horse kept pace with them.
Long before the night was gone Major
] 1uttuu WAS Suic III dtl anu up
the way to Chattanooga with not a
thought of anything but rest and sleep.
And Captain Milneyl Why, the cap
tain Jared badly. He had already been
too much about ON his injured foot, and
1t was swollen and stiff. He started to
hobble after his men, but it was so hard
that in half an hour he gave it up and
lay down by the roadside, a mile or two
behind the rearmost of the retreating sol
dicrs. 1t seemed almost as if Major Gal
tons new life and spirit had been alb
stracted from the Captains store, leaving
the latter ambitionless and despairing.
II am whippedw he said TO himself,
as he lay down and gave up to WEAKNESS
and pain. l am whipped; but not by
the enemy back there. No; woman
did itn
At daylight next morning Captain Mil
ney was a wounded prisoner Of war,
bound for some Southern military prison.
J II am whipped, " he said, as on the night
J before, and prepared as well as he could
! to take it philosophically.
Seven or eight months afterweId the
Captain awoke one morning from the de-
{ lirium of long fever. lie was in hos
pital near Washington. When he first
became conscious things about him
looked almost as strange as the fantastic
visions of that dream haunted fever land
from which he had just emerged. Al